A Syrian man walks along a damaged street in Aleppo’s Old City on January 19, 2017, a month after government forces retook the Syrian city from foreign-sponsored Takfirimilitants. (Photo by AFP)

More than 30 members of the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group have been killed when they engaged in fierce exchanges of gunfire with Syrian army soldiers and pro-government fighters from popular defense groups in the country’s central province of Homs.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that at least 18 Daesh extremists had been killed as they sought to advance near the Tiyas Military Airbase, also known as the T-4 Airbase, west of the ancient Semitic city of Palmyra.

The UK-based monitoring group’s head, Rami Abdel Rahman, said 12 pro-government fighters had also been killed, including seven in a bomb attack.

Daesh has tried for weeks to cut off the Syrian army’s access route to the airbase, but to no avail in the face of strong resistance shown by government forces.

Additionally, Syrian soldiers killed more than 15 Daesh terrorists, and destroyed an armored vehicle and seven pickup trucks equipped with heavy machineguns south of Sharifa village, situated about 60 kilometers west of Palmyra.

A Syrian military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, also told Syria’s official news agency SANA that the army had established control over a number of strategic hills and checkpoints along al-Phosphate road in Homs province.

Syrian government forces inflicted heavy losses on Daesh ranks and military equipment during the operations.

Furthermore, Syrian army units, backed by the Air Force, targeted militant hideouts in al-Maqaber area of the eastern city of Dayr al-Zawr as well as the nearby al-Tharda Mountain.

Daesh executes dozen people in Palmyra

Meanwhile, Daesh terrorists have reportedly beheaded and shot 12 captives in Palmyra in front of crowds of men and children.

Several of the victims were said to have been killed inside a second-century Roman amphitheater, while others were murdered in the courtyard of the Palmyra museum, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

This file photo taken on March 27, 2016 shows part of the remains of the Arch of Triumph, also called the Monumental Arch of Palmyra, that was destroyed by Daesh militants in October 2015 in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra. (Photo by AP)

Four of those reported dead were teachers and government employees. The other eight were Syrian army soldiers and militants from the so-called Free Army.

Daesh extremists retook Palmyra on December 11, just eight months after the Syria army drove them out.

Separately, tension prevails on the outskirts of the northwestern Syrian city of Jisr al-Shugur after members of the Takfiri Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, attacked the headquarters and checkpoints of Ahrar al-Sham militant coalition in the town of Khirbet al-Joz on the border with Turkey.

Jabhat Fateh al-Sham militants also stormed Ahrar al-Sham’s positions in Z’einiyyeh area, where ensuing clashes between the two sides have reportedly caused a number of casualties.